The fact is that right now there is simply nothing stopping the Tedeschi Trucks Band. If the current state of this band describes its immediate outlook for the future, the unit may be headed back to Swamp Raga to spend some time in the near future. The Tedeschi Trucks Band is in a separate class of professionalism, and Everybody’s Talkin’ depicts that representation most effectively.
The format of musical structure that represented Esperanza Spalding’s 2010 release Chamber Music Society is one that is centuries old. It’s a presentation of music that had birthed itself in classical realms within a very intimate environment. Originally Spalding was looking to release that record as a double effort alongside a possibly more familiar sounding arrangement, made available for an additional audience, but success has left time as a premium and that project would wait to unveil itself, until now in the form of Radio Music Society.
What differentiates Civil Twilight’s latest record Holy Weather from their debut record is a lesser fascination inside the storied characterization the lyrics set themselves within. You could picture what was occurring in the minds of the musicians through what was presented, and it was exciting.
The heart monitor flatline in the opening of undun is more than an just an entry, it’s an exit and ending to a life that belonged to Redford Stephens, the poor-decisions-dictated-the-unfortunate-outcome-of-life type of identifiable character that The Roots’ 13th album is centered about. In this detailed introduction, the reverse whirlwind that shifts from the piercing first note into the ghostly organ-driven lines leads up to a man’s final breath of air in a fast-paced adrenaline rush.
Nick Brown, lead singer and guitarist of the Nashville-by-way-of-Ohio-based rock group Mona, hasn’t broken a string in six months, but this evening at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia he’s already broken two in back to back songs; it doesn’t seem to bother him the least. There’s an edge to Mona’s sound and band complexion, greatly elevated by Brown’s attitude and energy, comparable to The Clash’s Joe Strummer with a faint similarity in the style made public more recently by the Kings of Leon.
One of the most captivating musical characteristics of Esperanza Spalding is the way she uses her phenomenal voice as an instrument. Her vocal presence appears to act as a guide at times for the pieces. Communication is essential for musicians when performing together and when Spalding sings in a scat manner or just free-flowing, the sound seems to define what she is thinking right at the moment; something that can equally be translated from the other musicians onstage.
Chickenfoot III is a hint that the band is skipping through the second chapter, but if a quad level wants to be reached successfully, the collective might need to further define the musical mesh.
World Wide Rebel Songs at its core resembles the structure of The Nightwatchman’s previous two records, but the sound broadens somewhat with the addition of more production instrumentals.
A large thematic portion of The Wandas debut album appears to be focused around the idea of chasing after love, or quite possibly the missing out on that existence. Listening to the instrumentation of the majority of this album, it wouldn’t be as apparent to interpret the lyricism as depressing matters; it nearly is disguised. That could be viewed as a success in terms of expressing, or changing, that idea within the sound that makes up this band.
A common thread that can be drawn from any JBT show is the universal connection between the John Butler Trio as a group of musicians and the audience who equally share a passion for the music that is present. What John Butler brings to every performance is a sacred offering that is unique to the crowd and the energy of that special moment, and Live At Red Rocks is a direct snapshot of that point in time.
